This invention generally relates to lifting devices, and more particularly to a uniquely configured davit for lifting a small sailboat from and into the water.
Davits are well-known for lifting various types of vessels from the water for storage. These davits are positioned either along the water's edge in the ground, or more typically within a reinforced concrete seawall adjacent the water's edge. Davits are also utilized on larger boats and ships for lifting small boats and dinghies from the water to be carried by the larger vessel.
Davits are typically in the form of an upright support member, radially or diagonally outwardly extending boom and a cable and winch arrangement for lifting and lowering the boat which is connected at the end of the cable. Alternately, for somewhat larger boats, a tandem arrangement of two such davits may be utilized, one connected by cable at each end of the boat.
The lifting of small sailboats from the water by davit is, however somewhat more difficult. Because of the mast location and relatively large, elevated center of gravity, lifting of sailboats is normally accomplished by two davits in tandem or by expensive carriage arrangements. This is, in part, because the weight of the mast tends to make maintaining the sailboat in an upright orientation when lifted from the water somewhat difficult and precarious at best.
Further, such arrangements for lifting small sailboats from the water presently available are relatively expensive with respect to the investment in the sailboat and therefore make the cost/benefit factor unappealing to most owners of such vessels.
The present invention provides a sailboat davit which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and, by utilizing a single such davit, a small sailboat may be lifted and lowered back into the water while fully stabilizing the mast in its upright orientation and while maintaining pitching stability of the sailboat.